Apparatus for use in wireless telegraphy.



No. 673,553. Patented May 7, I901.

J. BUBRY.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.

(Application filed Sept. 9, 1899.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: INV TOR:

26 Q I a his Attorney THE NORRIS PETERS co. PNoro-LITMQ, wnsumumu. o c.

UNITED STATES r FFICE.

PATENT JOHN BURRY, OF FORT LEE, NEl/V JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,553, dated May 7,1901.

I Application filed September 9, 1899. Serial No. 729,894. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN BURRY, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Fort Lee, in the county of Bergen an d State of New Jersey,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Usein Wireless Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for use in the art oftransmitting and receiving signals by means of oscillations ormanifestations of the ether, whether on sea or on land, and moreespecially to apparatus for use at the receiving-station.

In Letters Patent of the United States,dated the 13th day of July,1897,bearingNo. 586,193, and granted to Guglielmo Marconi, a completesystem of wireless telegraphy, popularly so called, is disclosed,wherein several forms of receiving apparatus are described, and inUnited States Letters Patent No. 627,650, dated June 27, 1899, andgranted to said Marconi, are shown modified forms of the receivingapparatus. In the apparatuses shown and described in said Letters Patentand in all improvements thereon with which I am acquainted it is notpossible to use the ordinary dot-and-dash or Morse system of signaling,owing to the fact that the contact or contacts employed areautomatically restored to their normal condition of high resistance assoon as a circuit of a given strength is once established through them.From this it follows that severalvibrations of the Morse receiverrepresent a dot and a greater number of such vibrationsrepresentadash,though of course at the sending-station the key is (ormay be) operated as in ordinary telegraphy.

One object of the present invention is to cause the vibrations of thearmature-lever of the Morse instrument (relay or sounder) at thereceiving-station to harmonize with the key movements at thesending-stationthat is, the movements of the armature-lever of thereceiving-relay or sounder will be practically synchronous with themovements of the sending-key or a dot sent'will be a dot at thereceiver, and so, also, for a dash.

Many forms of imperfect electrical contacts have been proposed orused,some of which are self-recovering or self-restoring to a normalcondition of poor conductivity, while some are quick and some are slowto recover said condition. Others are quick in recovering for a time andthen lose that power in a greater or lesser measure, but may be restoredby rest or by appropriate methods of treatment.

One object of the present invention is to provide intervals of timeduring which the imperfect electrical contacts shall be wholly out offfrom the collector or interceptor of the oscillations or manifestationsof the ether and during whichintervals of time the said contacts may berestored to their normal condition of poor conductivity (or the reverse)either by self-recovery or by means appropriate to the particular kindof contact in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter during the description of theinvention.

In the said Letters Patent to Marconi are described several forms ofreceiving apparatus, one as having complete metallic local circuits,another as having the terminals of the metallic part of the localcircuit, one in the air and the other in the earth or water, a third ashaving both metallic terminals in earth or water, and a fourth as havingthe receiving apparatus connected with the secondary of aninduction-coil. The apparatus forming the subject-matter of thisapplication may be used in each of the cases just above referred to, andthis statement should be borne in mind during the descriptionhereinafter given of a specific instance or application of the inventionand also in the construction of the claims.

According to the present invention a number of imperfect electricalcontacts are arranged in multiple at the receiving-station. Means areprovided for progressively switching less than the whole number of saidcontacts into and out of the local circuit, whereby each of saidcontacts is not in circuit for portions of the time and during whichintervals of time it may be restored to normal condition byelectromagnetic means or by means controlled by electro magnets. Bypreference but one imperfect electrical contact is in circuit at any onetime, and also at least three contacts are used at thereceiving-station. Circuit-completing connections are arranged tocomplete the circuit through the conductor and the contact or contactswith which it may be connected momentarily.

In order to translate the oscillations or man? festations of the etherinto dofland-dash signals for ordinary telegraphy, a relay or sounderand a battery are joined in series with each other and with saidconductorand said circuit-completingconnections. The self-induction ofthe magnet-coils prevents the oscillations or etheric manifestationsfrom being short-circuited through the relay and battery. Thearrangements are such that the battery-current goes through the saidelectrical contacts Whenever these are in circuit with the battery andhave had their resistance reduced by the action of oscillations set inmotion at the distant sending-station; but the resistance through thecoils of the magnet of the relay or sounder, the battery, and anunacted-upon contact (or contacts) is so great as practically to haveopen circuit, or the imperfect electrical contacts may be arranged toincrease their resistance under the influence of the oscillations ormanifestations of the ether, so as to open instead of closing thecircuit through the relay or sounder. In the first case the magnet isnot strong enough to attract the armatu re-lever to itself, While in thesecond case the magnet is weakened to release the armature-lever. In thefirst case the battery-current becomes strong enough to cause the magnetto attract the armaturelever and so to operate the line or other circuitonce the oscillations reduce the resistance of a contact. The receivinginstrument is intended to be operated at such a rate of speed as willsecure that more than one contact (in the preferred arrangement) will beswitched in during the sending of a dot; but the interval between thecutting out of one contact and the cutting in of the next is so slightthat the magnet does not have time to become discharged sufficiently torelease (or reattract) the armature-lever. Of course when a dash istransmitted and received the same statement holds true for the greaternumber of contacts so cut out and in.

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, forming part hereof.

The reference 1 indicates a conductor having one end connected to abrush 2. The other end of said conductor may be connected to or may forma collector for the oscillations or manifestations of the ether.

3 is a sunflower having three conductingsegments 4 5 6, insulated fromeach other and from the shaft 7.

8 is a trailer-arm fast to but insulated from the shaft 7 and providedwith a hub, upon which the brush 2 hears.

9 10 11 are three imperfect electrical contacts, one being shown insection. The segments 4, 5, and 6 are connected electrically each with adifferent one of said electrical contacts 9 1O 11. Each of the saidcontacts insulated segments 40.

comprises a tube 12, of insulating material, as glass, two plugs 13 14,of metal, of a size to fit the tubes and sealed therein and separatedfrom each other by a space. In the said space is placed metallic powderor grains 15, loose 9 by a wire 19. The segment 5 is connected with thecontact 10 by a Wire 20, and the segment 6 is connected with the contact11 bya wire 21, the connection in each case being made with a plug 13 ofthe corresponding contact. The circuits through the contacts 9 10 11 arecompleted by branches of a returnwire 22,- the said branches beingconnected with the plugs 14 of the said contacts. In the instance shownthe circuit-completing wires 22 are grounded; but, as above intimated,the local circuit may be otherwise completed.

From the described construction it will be seen that the trailer 8during the rotations of the shaft 7 successively or progressivelyconnects the segments 4, 5, and 6 with their corresponding contacts andthat each contact is in circuit with conduct-or 1 for substantiallyone-third of the time.

The devices shown in the drawing for restoring the imperfect electricalcontacts to their normal condition are adapted to the particular form ofcontact employed and comprise vibratory tappers 23 24 25, eachcomprising a pivoted arm 26 and adjustable hammer 27, connected theretoby screw-threads and lock-nuts and springs 28 for drawing the tappersagainst the stops 29. In order to cause the tappers to strike thecorresponding con tacts,there are provided electromagnets 30 31 32, andthe rapper-arms 26 are provided with armatures for coaction with saidmagnets. In order to energize the said magnets,

a battery and connections are provided, the said connections includingan automatic circuit-breaker, and also means are provided forshort-circuiting each electromagn et whenever the correspondingimperfect electrical contact isin circuit with the conductor-1 throughthe mediumof the brush 2, trailer 8, sunflower-segment, and connection.

33 is a battery having one pole connected with magnet 32. by theconductor 34, and from 3 the magnet 32 the circuit passes by conductor35 to the magnet 31, and from the mag- 'net- 31 by the conductor 36 tothe magnet30,

and from the magnet 30 by the conductor 37 to a brush 38, which bearsupon a rotating disk 39, which is provided with a number of A brush 41bears upon a hub 42 of the disk 40 and is connected with the other poleof the battery 33 by conductor 43. The disk 40 and hub 42 are insulatedfrom but rotate with the shaft 7. The electrical connections between thebattery and the magnets as thus described would cause each magnet to beenergized every time the circuit was completed through the automaticcircuit-breaker. In order to cut out any electromagnet at the time itscorresponding contact is in circuit with the conductor 1, as aforesaid,there is provided a sunflower 44, comprising two concentric rows ofthree segments each, insulated from each other and from the shaft 7. Thesegments 45, 46, and 47 of the outer row are connected, respectively,with the conductors 37, 36, and 35 by wires 48, 49, and 56, eachconnection being made at the corresponding sides of the electromagnets30 31 32, while the segments 51, 52, and 53 of the inner row of thesunflower 44 are respectively connected with the condoctors 36, 35, and34 by wires 54 55 50 at the corresponding sides of the said magnets 30,31, and 32. An arm 57 is attached to but is insulated from the shaft 7and is provided with two brushes 58 and 59, respectively, bearing uponthe outer and inner rows of segments of the sunflower 44 andelectrically connecting said segments by pairs, as indicated in thedrawing, in which the magnet 30 is short-circnited and so does notattract the arm 26, while at the same time the trailer 8, the segment 4,and the conductor 19 connect the conductor 1 with contact 9. Theelectromagnets 31 and 32 are in connection, however, with the battery 33in condition to be energized and denergized by the automaticcircuit-breaker. As soon as the trailer 8 passes to the segment 5 andthe trailer 57 to the segments 46 and 52 the magnet 30 is thrown intocircuit with the battery 33 and the magnet- 32, while the magnet 31 isshortcircuited or cut out, and when the trailer 8 passes to the segment6 the trailer 57 passes to the segments 47 and 53, short-circuiting themagnet 32 and restoring magnet 31 to the battery-circuit to be energizedalong with magnet 30 as the circuit-breaker makes and breaks thecircuit. The automatic circuitbreaker shown is adapted to twice make andtwice break a circuit while each electromagnet is in circuit with thebattery, thus securing that two taps upon each electrical contact shallbe had while the said contact is not in circuit with the conductor 1.

In order to adapt the devices thus far described to the translation ofthe oscillations of the ether into dotand dash or the ordinarytelegraphic code, there is provided a battery 60 and a relay orsonnder,whose magnet- .coils 61 are connected with one pole of thebattery by a conductor 62 and with the conductor l by a conductor 63,and the other pole of the battery is connected with thecircuit-completing wire 22 by a conductor 64.

The armature-lever 65 of the relay or sounder vibrates between thecontacts or stops 66 67, being drawn away from the electromagnet 61 byspring 68 whenever the circuit through the magnet 61, battery 60, and animperfect electrical contact is broken, or, rather, whenever theimperfect electrical contact is in its condition of poor conductivity,at which time the magnet 61 is practically outof circuit.

In the operation of the devices shown in the drawing the trailers 8 and57 and the circuit-breaker or switch 39 are rotated by the shaft 7 at,say, two thousand turns per minute. The trailer 8 cuts in and cuts outthe contacts 9 1O 11 one by one, while trailer 57 short-circuits themagnets 30 31 32 one at a time, and the automatic switch twice cuts inand twice cuts out the electromagnets while they are in circuit with thebattery 33, thus causing two blows upon each of the contacts 9 10 11while it is not in circuit with the conductor. The etheric oscillationsstarted at a distant or sending station are collected, intercepted, orpicked up at the receiving-station in any suitable way and conveyed bythe wire 1 to the brush 2, and thence pass through shaft 7 and trailer 8to whatever segment or segments ofthe sunflower 3 the trailer may be incontact with or over which it may pass, while the production of theoscillations may last and so pass to the. imperfect electrical contactor contacts in succession and to earth or other return. The passage ofthe oscillatory current through the contacts 9 1O 11 decreases theresistance thereof to such an extent that the current through the relaybecomes strong enough to cause the lever 65 to be drawn over againststop or contact 66, and the lever 65 there remains as long as thesending-key is held down to cause sparking or oscillations at thesending-station, notwithstanding the fact that the trailer 8 may passfrom one segment to another during such time. Whenever the key at thesending-station is released or opened the oscillations cease, and at thereceiving-station the imperfect contacts,which are continuously restoredto their normal conditions by the tapping of pins 27, break the circuitthrough the relaypractically, whereupon the spring 68 draws the lever 65over against contact or stop 67. From the foregoing it will be seen thatthe length of time that the armature-lever 65 remains in contact withthe stop or contact point 66 depends upon the time the key at thesendingstation is held closed, whence it is obvious that signals may besent in the way common in ordinary telegraphy by dot and dash and that.the apparatus described translates the oscillations into dot and dash atthe receiving-station.

While I have shown and described three IIO imperfect electrical contactsat the receivingstation, my invention is not limited to the use of thisnumber, nor is it limited to the use of imperfect electrical contacts ofthe kind heretofore described, for it is obvious that my system of usinga number of such contacts in alternation-that is, of using less than the.whole number and of progressively changing those in use and disuse-maybe used in the case of contacts which are self-restoring withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention. Also, my system may be used inorder to open a circuitinstead of closing one, (the case-illustrated inthe drawing and hereinbefore described,) in which case the contactswould increase instead of decreasing their resistance under theinfluence of the oscillations of the other. 7

Of course suitable capacities or condensers may be or are used whereverthe situation permits or demands them; but I have not deemed itnecessary to show them.

What is claimed is- 1. In wireless telegraphy and the like, thecombination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts,means for progressively connecting and disconnecting less than the wholenumber of said contacts with and from said conductor, circuit-completingI connections from said contacts, and electromagnetically-controlledmeans for restoring each contact to normal condition while it is not incircuit with said conductor, substantially as described.

2. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical' contacts restorable to normalcondition by shaking or jarring, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting less than the whole number ofsaid contacts with and fromsaid conductor, circuitcompleting connections from said contacts, andelectromagnetically-operated tappers for restoring each of said'contactsto normal condition while it is not in circuit with said conductor,substantially as described.

3. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressivelyconnecting and disconnecti'ng said contacts with and from saidcondnctors one by one, circuit-completing connections from saidcontacts, and electromagnetically-controlled means for restoring eachcontact to normal condition while it is-not in circuit with saidconductor, substantially as described;

4:. In wireless telegraphy and the like, th combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal conditionby shaking or jarring, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting said contacts one at a time with and from said conductor,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, anelectromagnetically-operated tapper for and adjacent each of saidcontacts, a battery, and means for connecting and disconnecting said"battery with and from the electromagnets for said tappers while thecorresponding contact is not in circuit with said conductor,substantially as described.

5. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of'imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressivelyconnecting and disconnecting less than from said conductor,circuit-completing con- ,nections' from said contacts, an independentelectromagnetically-operated device for restoring each contact to normalcondition while it is not in circuit with saidconductor, a battery,connections from said battery to the electromagnets of said restoringdevices, and means for short-circuiting each electromagnet while thecorresponding contact is in circuit with said conductor, substantiallyas described.

6. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,anumber of imperfect electrical contacts, means for connecting anddisconnecting said contacts one by one with and from said conductor,circuitcompl'eting connections from said contacts, an independentelectromagnetically controlled device for restoring each contact tonormal condition while'it is not in circuit with said conductor, abattery, a double sunflower, a trailer for connecting adjacent inner andouter sunflower-segments, a circuit-breaker, wires joining said battery,circuit-breaker and electromagnets inseries, and electric connectionsbetween each pair of adjacent inner and outer sunflower-segmentsand saidwires at opposite sides of the corresponding electromagnet, whereby eachof said magnets is short-circuitfedwhile the corresponding imperfectelectrical contact is in circuit with said first-named conductor,substantially as described.

7. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor,a number of imperfect electrical contacts restorable tonor-'mal-condition by shaking or jarring, means for connecting anddisconnecting said contacts'one by one with and-from said'conductor,circuit-co mpleting connections from said contacts, an independentelectromagneticallyoperated tapper for restoring each-contact to normalcondition'while it isnot in circuit with said conductor, a battery, adouble sunflower, a trailer for connecting adjacent inner and outersunflower-segments, a circuit-breaker I and electromagnets in series,and electric connections between each pair of adjacent inner and outersunflower-segments and said wires at opposite sides of the correspondingelectromagnet, whereby each of said magnets is short-circuited while thecorresponding im-. perfect electrical contact is in circuit with saidfirst-named conductor, substantially as described.

8. In wireless telegraphy and the'like, the combination of a conductor,three imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition byshaking or jarring, means for connecting and disconnecting said contactsone by one with andfrom sai'd conductor, circuit; completing connectionsfrom said contacts, a sunflower having two concentric rowsof threesegments each, a trailer for electrically connecting adjacent inner andouter segments, an electromagnet for and adjacent each of said contacts,a tapper at each of said magnets for tapping the corresponding contact,a circuit-breaker, a battery, wires connecting said magnets,circuit-breaker and battery in series, and electric connections betweeneach pair of said inner and outer sunflower-segments and the said wiresat opposite sides of the corresponding electromagnet, whereby eachmagnet is short-circuited while the corresponding imperfect electricalcontact is in circuit with said first-named conductor, substantially asdescribed.

9. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting anddisconnectingless than the whole number of said contacts with and fromsaid conductor, circuit-completing connections from said cont-acts, andelectromagneticallycontrolled means for restoring each contact to normalcondition while it is not in circuit with said conductor, with a relayor sounder, and a battery electrically connected in series with eachother and with said first-named conductor and said circuit-completingconnections, substantially as described.

10. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by shakingor jarring, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting lessthan the whole number of said contacts with and from said conductor,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, andelectromagnetically-operated tappers for restoring each of said contactsto normal condition while it is not in circuit with said conductor, witha relay or sounder, and a battery electrically connected in series witheach other and with said first-named conductor and saidcircuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

11. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively con necting anddisconnecting said contacts with and from said conductors one by one,circuitcompleting connections from said contacts, andelectromagnetically-controlled means for restoring each contact tonormal condition while it is not in circuit with said conductor, with arelay or sounder, and a battery electrically connected in series witheach other and with said first-named conductor and saidcircuit-completin g connections, substantially as described.

12. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by shakingor jarring, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting saidcontacts one at a time with and from said conductor, circuit-completingconnections from said contacts, an electromagnetically-operated tapperfor and adjacent each of said contacts, a battery, and means forconnecting and disconnecting said battery with and from theelectromagnets for said tappers while the corresponding contact is notin circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder, and a batteryelectrically connected in series with each otherand with saidfirst-named conductor and said circuit-completing connections,substantially as described.

13. In wireless tclegraphy,the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting anddisconnecting less than the Whole number of said contacts with and fromsaid conductor, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, anindependent electromagnetically-operated device for restoring eachcontact to normal condition while it is not in circuit with saidconductor, a battery, connections from said battery to theelectromagnets of said restoring devices, and means for short-circuitingeach electromagnet while the corresponding contact is in circuit withsaid conductor, with a relay or sounder, and a battery electricallyconnected in series with each other and with said first-named conductorand said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

14. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts, means for connecting and disconnectingsaid contacts one by one with and from said conductor,circuit-completing connections from said contacts, an independentelectromagnetically-controlled device for restoring each contact tonormal condition while it is not in circuit with said conductor, abattery, a double sunflower, a trailer for connecting adjacent inner andouter sunflower-segments, a circuit-breaker,wires joining said battery,circuit-breaker and electromagnets in series, and electric connectionsbetween each pair of adjacent inner and outer sunflower-segments andsaid wires at opposite sides of the corresponding electromagnet, wherebyeach of said magnets is short-circuited While the correspondingimperfect electrical contact is in circuit with said firstnamedconductor, with a relay or sounder, and a battery electrically connectedin series with each other and with said first-named conductor and saidcircuit-completing connec tions, substantially as described.

15. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number ofimperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by shakingor jarring, means for connecting and disconnecting said contacts one byone with and from said conductor, circuit-completing connections fromsaid contacts, an independent electromagnetically operated tapper forrestoring each contact to normal condition while it is not in circuitwith said conductor, a battery, a double sunflower, a trailer forconnecting adjacent inner and outer sunflower-segments, acircuit-breaker and electromagnets in series, and electric connectionsbetween each pair of adjacent inner and outer sunflower-segments andsaid IIO IIS

wires at opposite sides of the corresponding electromagnet, whereby eachof said magnets is short-circuited while the corresponding imperfectelectrical contact is in circuit with said first-named conductor, with arelay or sounder, and a battery electrically connected in series witheach other and with said firstnamed conductor and saidcircuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

16. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, threeimperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by shakingor jarring, means for connecting and disconnecting said contacts one byone with and from said conductor, circuit-completing connections fromsaid contacts, a sunflower having two concentric rows ofthree segmentseach, a trailer for electrically connecting adjacent inner and outersegments, an electromagnet for and adjacent each of said contacts, atapper at each of said magnets for tapping the corresponding contact, acircuit-breaker, a battery, wires connecting said magnets,circuit-breaker and battery in series, and electric connections bet weeneach pair of said inner and outer sunflower-segments and the said wiresat opposite sides of the corresponding electromagnet, whereby eachmagnet is short-circuited while the corresponding imperfect electricalcontact isjn circuit with said first-named conductor, with a relay orsounder, and a battery electrically connected in series with each otherandfwith said firstnamed conductor and saidcircuit-com pleting'connections, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 8th day of September, A. D. 1899.

JOHN BURRY. Witnesses:

R. W. BARKLEY, FRANK RYALL.

